Role of Total Mesorectal Excision in Multimodal Treatment of Rectal Cancer

Abstract

Treatment of rectal cancer has undergone numerous advances in recent decades. High local recurrence rates were formerly associated with poor survival. After acquisition of sphincter-sparing techniques, Heald published a new method called total mesorectal excision (TME). This surgical modification allowed an important reduction in local recurrence, from more than 20% to less than 10%. In this literature review, we evaluate the principles, results, and complications of TME in a context where neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for stage II and III tumors plays has an important role in local control and patient survival.